E bites newsletter | Issue8 | 1Q 2013
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Transcript of E bites newsletter | Issue8 | 1Q 2013
bites
1Q 2013 | Issue 8 | Brought to you by:
HAVE THE ROOTS & WINGS TO EMPOWER YOUR CAREER
Do You Have the Roots and Wings to Develop Your Career?
“There are only two lasting bequests we can give our children…one is roots, the other wings.” ~ Stephen Covey
Developing people at work is like raising kids. As a mother to a 16 year old, one thing that has strongly struck me during this
challenging teenage phase is the importance of firm roots and mighty wings. With all the influences and choices in today’s
modern and connected world, I am peacefully confident to let go of my son, out into the world because of the roots we have
established at home and of the wings he is armed with.
How does all these translate into the workplace? What makes me say that developing people at work is like raising kids? I offer two
perspectives – as a professional who seeks to develop and execute a plan to advance to the next level, and the other, from a
manager’s perspective who endeavors to develop his direct reports to their maximum potentials.
The Eager Professional
When I started as a high-‐potential member of our sales team in a global company, one of the questions I constantly faced was
“Where do you want to be next year/ in 3 years / in 5 years/ in 10 years?” My supervisors and HR managers were so good in
cascading training and development plan templates that over the years, they got imbedded into my mind and system. When I became a manager, I used the same approach with my direct
reports. (For a free template on professional development planning, email [email protected])
(Read the continuation on page 3)
POWER TOOLS
How to Craft an Elevator Pitch
How to Tackle a Panel Interview
“Have the Roots & Wings to
Empower Your Career”
In this issue
de’POWERinU
How can a mentor/coach help
empower your career & life?
PROGRAMS | CALENDAR
2
3
POWER NOTES
Do You Have the Roots & Wings
to Develop Your Career? (cont’d)
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6
e bites, 1Q 2013, Issue 8
2 POWER TOOLS
Recommended by Elaine Cercado
How to Craft an Elevator Pitch Simply put, an elevator (or “lift” in Singapore context) pitch is a 15- to 30-second
pitch about you so vivid and concise it could be delivered in the space of an elevator ride. When and where would you need an elevator pitch? Essentially
every time and everywhere – whether you are business networking, going for job interviews or meetings, or socializing (think of your school reunions). What do
career coaches advise about how to craft your “elevator pitch”?
How do you sum up your life’s experience and job ambitions in 30 seconds or less? First of all, think about the benefit you can confer on the employer, advises Jane
Praeger, a media coach from New York. “People are too apt to go in with a laundry list of skills–I can do this, I can do that,” she says. “Instead, say, for
example, ‘I can make sure your employees are well supervised and motivated.’” Praeger’s own elevator pitch? “I help people figure out what to say and how to
say it, to get the results they want.”
Another New York career coach, who used to work in human resources at Merrill Lynch, Pfizer and Citigroup, Connie Thanasoulis-Cerrachio proposes the following
strategy for crafting a pitch: Start by filling a whole page with what you would want to say to a hiring manager. Cut that down to half a page. Keep cutting until you get to a quarter page. Then pull out three bullet points that give a snapshot of
your career. Thanasoulis-Cerrachio’s pitch: “I spent 25 years on Wall Street heading up a staffing organization for Fortune 500 companies. Now I take those insider secrets and teach people how to run an efficient, effective job search.”
Career coaches suggest preparing more than one pitch, for different audiences. Coach Win Sheffield recommends tailoring a specific one for each interview.
“Develop your pitch with a specific person in mind,” he says, and make sure it includes where you’ve been, where you are and where you’re going. But his most
important advise? As much when you’re selling yourself as at any other time, it’s important to pay attention to your audience. “The pitch is no substitute for
developing a relationship with a person,” Sheffield notes.
As to my own general elevator pitch – “I have over 20 years of working with top MNCs before I embarked on management consulting and training in 2008. My
experience and success in business and people leadership have enriched and empowered me to become an effective consultant, trainer and mentor-coach. I
am passionate and committed to help discover, develop, maximize and share the power in each one of us.”
Source: http://www.forbes.com/sites/susanadams/2013/03/21/how-to-craft-a-job-search-elevator-pitch-3/
How to Tackle a Panel Interview Hannah Morgan in US News & World Report recently gave the following advice:
So how do you deal with the panel interview? Start by knowing it's coming. If you've got an interview scheduled, be sure to ask your HR contact or the hiring
manager ahead of time who you'll be meeting with and how the interview will be conducted. That's a perfectly legitimate question, and in fact as a hiring manager,
I like it when the candidate asks. It means he or she wants to be prepared.
Here are some questions you can use to get started: What are the three main factors you will be using to determine the right
person for this job? How is job performance evaluated at your company, and how often will I
be evaluated? What types of skills do you not already have on-board that you're looking
to fill with a new hire? What goals do you expect the person who takes this job to
achieve during the first year?
Source: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505143_162-57573512/turn-a-panel-interview-to-your-advantage/
e bites, 1Q 2013, Issue 8
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1
(Continued from page 1)
On one hand, this approach made me proactive and focused toward my next career move. On the other hand, I felt a sense of uncertainty, as there were factors beyond my control. I wondered, “was my promotion due to my competency, achievements and potentials?” or “was it due to the circumstances in the company?” I believed then that the answer was due to both my competencies and circumstances coinciding – “I am here at the right time, at the right place, with the right boss and team!” The burst of opportunities perfectly aligned with my career goals – and my boss trusted me to take the opportunities further.
But as I gained more experience and wisdom, I discovered a different answer and approach to such wondering. I discovered that purposeful living was the key and found a new appreciation to the question asked by my supervisors and HR. The visualization process of “where do you want to be in …” began to make sense.
The Caring Manager
When I became a manager, I made it a point to jointly review the professional development plans of direct reports at least twice a year. It made the process easier for both my direct report and myself as the accountability was shared. Was it a perfect system? My honest answer is no – but it worked most of the time. When did it work? When the owner of the plan was rooted on a firm foundation, and when I, as the manager, cared enough to provide the right
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support environment for my direct report to take off and trusted him/her to fly mightily.
Firm Roots
To be rooted firmly, one must seek, understand and define one’s purpose and values. First is to know one’s life purpose. The quest for life meaning and purpose starts at different times for every person. Some start young; others continue to drift through 30’s and 40’s without seeking or knowing their life purpose. A purpose – defined usually through knowing one’s passion, mission and vision – fires unrelenting drive, energizes life and gives the power of choice (rather than circumstance). A purpose gives birth to the goals and action plans, both personally and professionally, which set the stage for development, improvement and growth.
Second is to stay rooted on core values and principles. Each person has different set of values, principles or beliefs, which are expressed in different ways or levels, yet are universal and unchangeable. A person who grows up valuing faith and family would manifest that at home and at work. The intensity and form of expression might change along the way – for instance, due to balancing or prioritization – but when push comes to shove, the core values would stand out. A person who highly values honesty and integrity would generally manifest that in his/her work quality and ethics.
POWER NOTES
Do You Have the Roots and Wings to Develop your Career?
(Continued from first page)
By Elaine Cercado
e bites, 1Q 2013, Issue 8
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1
(Continued from page 3)
To make the roots strong, one needs fortitude and consistency – and that’s where the manager could provide the support by aligning one’s purpose and values to the organizational mission, vision and values. For instance, the manager could link the importance of honesty and integrity when serving customers – as most companies would put customer satisfaction as a core value.
Mighty Wings
How does one’s career advance or grow from there? When one pursues a career based on passion, purpose and values, there is no limit to what one could achieve. Of course, the technical, managerial and other relevant competencies matter but all these could be learned easily when fueled by one’s passion and purpose. And when pressures come, one could face them gracefully when strongly guided by his/her values and principles.
Once the purpose is defined, the values are clear, the goals and action plans are set, the next step is to execute. Execution comes down to the day-‐to-‐day decisions taken and to the actions done. These decisions and actions then form the person’s habits. Habits are very powerful and could accelerate or boost one’s flight to success.
Many of us have read or come across the book of Stephen Covey, “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.” Covey outlined the 7 habits as follows: Be Proactive, Begin with the End in Mind, Put First
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Things First, Think Win-‐Win, Seek First to Understand Then to be Understood, Synergize, Sharpen the Saw.
Take as an example the last habit “sharpen the saw”, which entails balancing and renewing oneself physically, mentally, socially, emotionally, and spiritually. This is not an easy habit to form – given the very busy, multi-‐tasking, competitive environment we live in. Yet with purposeful living, one could simplify, and achieve balance and meaning.
A caring manager could support by providing the environment to achieve the balance and “sharpen the saw.” One example would be by mentoring; another would be by facilitating internal or external networking to broaden one’s influence and confidence. When one cares enough, the possibilities to help are endless.
In less than two years’ time, my son will officially become an adult. As a parent, have I done my part well to help him establish firm roots and grow mighty wings to take off and fly out into the real world? Has my son done his best to stay rooted and to feel confident to fly high? The path ahead will be interesting – and I look forward to seeing what’ll be on the other end of the road. A caring manager would feel the same way for the eager professional he/she has helped to develop.
~ EC
W hen one pursues a c a reer based on passion, purpose and va lues, there is no limit to what one c ould a c hieve.
POWER NOTES
Do You Have the Roots and Wings to Develop your Career?
(Continued from page 3)
By Elaine Cercado
e bites, 1Q 2013, Issue 8
5
HOW CAN A
MENTOR/ COACH HELP
EMPOWER YOUR CAREER
& LIFE?
Help You Face Life’s Crossroads and Choose Your Path
"My decision to go through the mentoring program for Empower Women@Work is probably one of the best decisions I have made. It
has allowed me to fully appreciate the gifts, talents and life experience I have been blessed with and to realize my passion and
purpose in life. The program has allowed me to become more focused at work and also empowered me to make bold steps in
some personal issues. Having Elaine as mentor has also helped me a great deal in understanding the sessions better as we were able to
share our life experience in the many roles we play, i.e. as a working mother, wife, daughter, sister, etc. I would certainly recommend this
program not just to working women but also to those who want to better understand their real purpose and to have the confidence in
themselves to live it." ~ GINA BONDOY-ILARDE, 13 September 2010
HR Director, Schindler Lifts (Singapore) Pte Ltd
Help You Find Your Purpose and Define Your Mission/Vision Statement
“The personalized mentoring course is very effective for me. What I find most effective is the sharing of experiences by my mentor. She took note of my
personal circumstances both at work and personal life and tailored the course to meet/ suit my needs. The resources and reference books are also
very helpful to continue with this learning process. Overall, has increased my awareness on personal effectiveness. Most of all, what makes it really
effective is that I see my mentor as a role model. Knowing her journey and relating to her experiences inspires me. I have not only gained new skill and
knowledge, most of all, I found a mentor and sister friend in Elaine. I personally recommend EMPOWER, most especially to women, in knowing
more about self and crafting your mission/ vision statement. The action planning will take you to a journey of realizing your mission. All the best to
EMPOWER and to Elaine!” ~ BERNADETH LUCANAS, 24 August 2011
Vice President, Credit Suisse
Help You Understand Yourself Better to Understand Others Better
“It allowed me sit and take time to deepen my self-understanding and gave me direction on how I should work on things…”
~SIGRID A, October 2011
“It sets your mind to a deeper understanding of yourself to know what you have and what would you like to do with what you have in a very smooth,
uncomplicated and straightforward approach.” ~ C.JOY G, October 2012
Help You Perform Better at Work & Life by Improving Your Relationships
“The modules have an impact on my performance at work & home in terms of how I handle my relationships. It has made me learn and discover more of
my strengths and areas that I need improvement on.” ~ TESSA B, July 2010
“I learned to identify what I need to improve on and which should I focus on more...I have a better understanding of myself and others. I learned how to
build relationships with people that would help me meet my objectives.” ~ AILEEN V, August 2012
To know more about our EMPOWER mentoring-coaching programs, email [email protected]
e bites, 1Q 2013, Issue 8
6
e bites [empower bites]
A newsletter published by de’POWERinU Management Consultants LLP
Registration No. T08LL0335D Copyright 2013. All Rights Reserved.
30 Keppel Bay Drive #07-42
Singapore, 098650 Tel +65 6271 0208
Website www.depowerinu.com
Email your feedback or suggestions to [email protected]
March to August 2013 CALENDAR
March 2013 E-‐Bites Issue 8 2-‐3 April 2013 CEGOS GLC Managerial Intelligence Level 1 At STADA Training Room 5 May 2013 E-‐Bites Issue 9 22 June 2013 [Empower Series 6] Purpose: Defining Your Mission & Vision -‐ open enrolment Venue TBC July 2013 E-‐Bites Issue 10 24 August 2013 [Empower Series 7] Leadership: Delivering Powerful Talks -‐ open enrolment Venue TBC Email [email protected] if interested with any of the sessions above
OTHER BITS Download all past e-‐bites [empower bites] issues from http://www.slideshare.net/elainecercado. (See “Documents”) Visit our website at www.depowerinu.com Like our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/dePOWERinU Follow me at www.twitter.com/ElaineCercado (@ElaineCercado)
EMPOWER MENTORING-‐COACHING PROGRAM MODULES
• PURPOSE: finding your mission & vision
• RELATIONSHIPS: impacting people positively and valuing diversity
• SELF-‐MANAGEMENT: improving time & stress
management, balance and emotional intelligence
• LEADERSHIP: leading those from up, down,
side and out • SITUATIONS: solving problems and making
decisions • FINANCES: understanding and building your
financial plan
Program options & schedule
• One-‐to-‐one or small group mentoring • One module may take one to two sessions • Ideally, one session every week; one session
lasts about two hours
To inquire or to book a session, email [email protected], subject: EMPOWER Mentoring-‐Coaching, or call +65 6271 0208.